POINT FARMS PROVINCIAL PARK

Tuesday September 19th 2017                                                         166346

All packed and ready to leave when the heavens opened, and it remained that way for most of the day.  Probably the last remnants of Hurricane Irma. 

So - camping was put on HOLD.

Wednesday September 20th 2017

We will try this again today.

 Although a damp cloudy start to the day, the forecast is for summer type weather so we are ready to head out to Point Farms Provincial Park.

It's always an easy drive with lots of country roads.

We left about 10.30 a.m. and we were enjoying our lunch, in bright sunshine, on site #122 by 12.30 p.m.

After lunch we sat around our site  for a while, enjoying the peace, quiet and beautiful bright "summer" day.

Then time to explore.

It was quite misty out on Lake Huron by the time we got there.

It did clear some what, and made for a very pleasant walk.

Lake Huron was very clear, and not at all cold today. 

May be the temperature was thanks due to Hurricane Irma sending the warm southern weather north to us, without the accompanied damage.

We were not the only ones out enjoying this glorious summer day.   When we reached The Doggy Beach "man's best friend" was definitely having a grand time keeping cool.

Also there was a lone seagull enjoying a stroll along the shore line.

There were quite a few people out making the most of the weather, the beach and the lake.

We walked the beach for another hour or so. Then decided we should head back and try to find our site.

That meant climbing the cliff with 128 steps.

From there we got back on the trail which took us back to our site.

It was really warm by the time we got back, so we sat in the shade to cool off.  Hadn't had too many of these hot days this summer, so we didn't mind at all.

A couple of squirrels came running through the site, but far too quick for pictures.

We could just see the sun setting over the Lake through the trees at our site.

After my Chef had worked wonders with the BBQ we settled down around the campfire. It was a very pleasant evening.  So many bright stars to look at tonight.

About 10 p.m. we heard a very large plane over the lake, sounding as if it was circling all around the area.   Then it got a lot closer and very low with extremely bright lights.   All we could guess was some sort of search and recuse over the lake.

And so the evening disappeared into the night and we headed inside while the Hercules was joined by other planes and helicopters.   All of which kept circling around the whole area.   We were able to see all the bright search lights through the windows.

I managed to drift off to sleep, regardless of the noise and lights, somewhere after 1.45 a.m.  Only to be woken again, about 3.30 a.m., when a helicopter flying so low, actually shook El Campista.   That was followed by continual air activity.

Have no idea when I managed to drift of to sleep again, but I was awaken again about 7 a.m. and the search was still going on.

Thursday September 21st 2017

Yes, it was a restless night,  so we turned the radio on at 7 a.m. to  catch the news,  It turned out that a plane had supposedly gone down over the lake, somewhere near Goderich (only a short distance from where we are camped).  It happened approximately 8.45 p.m. last night, and search and rescue, plus ground crews and K9 had been searching all night, and were still doing so,

White eating breakfast outside in the glorious "summer" sunshine, Hercules flew over.  Wish I had the camera outside with me then.

Breakfast all done, so we got ready for our morning walk.  We planned walking the Ravine Trail this morning.  We could hear and see search and rescue were still busy at work.

So first we headed to the beach.

A very different looking Lake Huron today.   No mist, just deep blue sky and very clear.

As was the Lake also.

There were quite a few people out enjoying the wonderful summer weather this morning.

We could see the search and rescue boat out on the lake and could hear the helicopters.

One of which gave us the honour of seeing it do a fly by along the shore line.

We walked the length of the beach to the Northern perimeter of the park.   Which was where we found this great "track"!

To actually get to the tail, we had over another 100 steps to climb.  We didn't count them this time, but on a previous trip we counted 145.  It was much steeper than yesterdays climb, as it is right on the Ravine.

This shot was taken about 2/3 of the way up.

The Ravine Trail is a very pretty trail and a good portion of it is along and above the tree tops.

In many places you cannot see how deep the ravine is, as you cannot see the bottom.   

Now if the plane had gone down right here it would be difficult to locate it in a deep wooded ravine.

We did see and hear search and rescue looking in this area.

The trail is fairly easy to walk, although a good amount of hills to conquer.

At the end of the trail we could see,  from the bridge, the river that runs at the base of the ravine into the lake.

Sometimes you cannot see the river, as it has been too dry,  but today it was flowing good.

Then we got on to the Tortoise Trail, followed by Old Farm Trail back to #122.

Which was a welcome sight after a lot of climbing.

It had become quite warm now so we  relaxed in the shade before it was time for a late lunch.

We also enjoyed part of the afternoon relaxing here too.

We did have the honour of a furry visitor this afternoon.

Later in the afternoon we decided to walk to the lake again, taking the same route as yesterday.

The lake looked great again, and it was a wonderful warm late afternoon.

At this time there was no sign of search and rescue.  All was very quiet.

Yes, we had to climb all the steps again to get back to our site.  Guess we will be in good shape when we get back home.

We managed to find a news station on the radio when we got back to 122, and it appears that some pieces of the plane have been found, along with one body.  They are still searching for another body.

After dinner we settled around the fire.  Hercules flew over along with the helicopter.   A little later there were many flares sent from the plane and they really lit the sky up like daytime.   About 10 p.m. all went quiet and Hercules left.  Have no idea if that was good or bad.

And so time for bed.  It had been a long night, last night, and a busy day climbing and enjoying the weather.  Wonder if we can sleep tonight.

Friday September 22nd 2017                                                   166455

Bright sunny morning, and at the start of 8.30 a.m. there were no sounds from the lake.

We are heading home today, which is a shame, as the weather is so good right now.

After breakfast we heard the helicopter again.

Managed to get everything all packed up and ready to leave about 11.30 a.m..

As the weather was so good we took a nice drive into Goderich, then made our way through the countryside to Kincardine.   Where we stopped for our usual delicious lunch at the Erie Belle.

It was such a nice day we could have sat outside, but the wind off the lake was so strong we sat inside.

Took our time over lunch, and also took a leisurely drive  back home.   Another fun filled adventurous trip.

Checked out the news on the Internet when we got home, and the plane and the pilot had now been found in the Lake.

PINEHURST LAKE CONSERVATION AREA - September 2017

Monday September 11th 2017

Finally a chance for a couple of days camping.   We are trying out a new park for us - Pinehurst Lake Conservation Area, near Paris ON.

The drive was OK, except for so much construction through and around Cambridge.  We ended up getting on to the 401 to avoid long waits and congested lanes to try to maneuver ourselves around to reach our destination.

We took site #110, described as a "premium" site with good privacy.  Sometimes you cannot believe all you are told.  It was a good level site.  With water and hydro hook up.  It was a good privacy site as there was only one other camper in this area - lucky for us.  The one downfall was it was a very shady site - as was most of the others - and there was a very cool breeze.

After lunch we made our way to the Morton Trail.  It has an outer and inner loop, both about 2km each.  A very easy trail, as it was well maintained.  Along the way we could see the trail continued straight or went to the left or the right.  Nothing on the map showed trails to either side.  So we continued straight on.

There was a lookout area, which was quite nice.  So we sat and enjoyed that for a while.
Then back on to the trail.  Once again trails to either side, so we did the same as before and followed the map trail.

After a while we came across another Lookout Area, which was really very pretty.

Then we were almost back to the start of the Morton Trail.

It was still a really pleasant afternoon to be out walking, so we headed towards the beach Trail.

Pinehurst Lake is a fair sized lake, parts of which have a lot of vegetation on and around it, especially water lilies.

The beach area was very well looked after, and extremely busy at this time, including a lot of people swimming.  I will try to get pictures tomorrow, if it is not so busy.

From there after a couple hours walking, we made our way along the trail back to our site.

It was still vey nice out, although there was a very cool breeze around our site.

We lit the campfire a bit earlier than we usually do, but it made a big difference.  It was very pleasant to sit out and enjoy the fresh air.

We ate dinner around the fire, which was working very well, and that was our stop for the duration of the very enjoyable evening.

Tuesday September 12th 2017.

Nice bright sunny morning, no wind, but a little on the cool side.   Still good to eat breakfast outside though.

Several Chipmunks came for a visit, but no pictures.  Will keep trying.

By 11 a.m. we were on our way to The Plantation Trail, in brilliant sunshine.  This trail is about 1.5 km from our site, so a good work out before we hit the trail.   It led us through a good portion of the park.  Through the non serviced area.  Where we must admit there were a lot of great sites.  Then through the seasonal area, where we saw a lot of very well laid out sites.   Then on to the Trail.

Once again a very well cared for trail.  Making it an easy walk at this time.

We hadn't gone very far along the trail when we came across this tree with a large caterpillar nest on it.
Why here we wondered.  So many trees, and only this one has a nest.

The flowers were all in bloom along the trail.

Then another tree housing caterpillars.

It turned out to be quite a hilly trail now, with more Look Out spots.

One showing the hills and the yellow blooms.

All very nice to look at.

Then we were on the edge of farmland.   Hence - I managed to find a great old barn.

Then we entered The Carolina Forest Area.

I personally think it looks more like Georgian Pines.  Regardless it made for a nice shady walk.

From there it wasn't far to the end of the trail.  It had become quite a strenuous walk, as some of the hills were quite steep.

To get back to our site we walked some of the Beach Trail, parts which we had not walked yesterday.

It was a very pretty area to walk.

It was a little sunny when we made it back, so we recuperated for a while before it was time for a late lunch.

We managed to move around the site and stay in the sunshine for some time. 

We did have a problem with lots of tiny caterpillars,  Guess they liked the warm sunshine as well.

After a while it was time to find another trail to explore.

We started on the beach trail, then decided we would walk all the way around Pinehurst Lake.   Some of it had to be done via the park roadway.  But most of it was on the trail around the edge of the lake.

Pinehurst Lake is a 9 hectare - or 23 acre - spring feed Kettle Lake.   Which was formed during the last ice age.  (That wasn't the past few weeks of 2017 and beginning of 2018, it was the previous ice age)

There were a good many hills to climb again, but that led to some lovely views of the lake.

And also the picnic shelter.  This part of the park was very well looked after.

We had to walk a short distance along The Captain Kidd Trail.  The one trail we did not get to complete yet.  It is a 3 km trail, so not too bad.  It goes to the most southern perimeter of the park.

When we made it to the beach we were surprised to find it so quiet.

It was a fabulous "Beach" weather day.

As we were getting to the edge of the beach area we came across signs of the summer winding down - canoes all lined up on the grass.

We are not ready for summer to leave yet.

And so a few more yards and we arrived at the spot we started at.  We had completed the Lake Trail.

It had been a fun afternoon's walk,  and a good work out.

So back to our site, get the campfire set to light, get my Chef working.  Then we can relax here for the evening.

And a very enjoyable evening it was!

Wednesday September 13th 2017                                                   166210

Cloudy, cool start to the day, and time for us to pack up and head home.

The weather forecast was tempting enough to make us want to stay, but we do have "work" plans for the remainder of the week and weekend.   Keeping up with "stuff" that had previously been put off, while we were away having fun, now has to be done.   The nice thing about that is it will free us up for 2018.  When hopefully the spring and summer won't be so cool and changeable. 

First stop on the way home is "Home Depot".  That will take care of necessary supplies.

We did travel Hwy 401 to Home Depot.  They had all we need, so one our way home.

Now a really nice afternoon, so after a late lunch we finished this little trip off with a walk around our Conservation Area.

McGowan Falls.   Durham

No it's not upside down - I just love pictures with reflections.

Durham. ON.

SELKIRK PROVINCIAL PARK

Tuesday 15th August                                                             165606

It was another really pleasant drive through small towns and the countryside to get to Selkirk from Rondeau.   However, we did manage to get stuck in a traffic jam when the yellow lines  were being painted in the middle of the road.  In fact it added at least 34 minutes to our trip.

No problem we were all set up on site #143 and enjoying a late lunch by 3.15 pm.   156819.

It was a really nice site and we can just see the lake  through the trees from our site.

The clouds rolled in shortly after lunch.  Then the rain really started, and it looked as if exploring might not happen at all today.

However, about an hour or so later the rain stopped and it appeared we would be able to take a walk before dinner after all.

We made our way to the Lake, which looked 

quite nice as the sky began to clear.

There were a few other people enjoying the peace and quiet of the late afternoon, early evening lake shore.

Along the  beach we came across a "buoy" that made "his" way to shore.

The beginning of the sunset was very pretty to watch.

We decided we should return to our site and get working on some dinner and the campfire.

It was a very pleasant evening around the campfire.

Looking forward to more exploring tomorrow.

Wednesday 16th August.

A good sunny start to the day, although a little cooler this morning.

Consequently we were on our to Wheeler's Walk Trail by 10.30, before it gets to too hot, it that happens.

Wheeler's walk is near the park entrance , so quite a walk from our site.

It was a pleasant walk as there were many flowers blooming along the way.

Wheelers Walk has two loops, each approx. 1 km.  So we planned on doing both loops.

The East Loop was an easy trail to follow.

With some wooded trail.

Along with some board walks.

At the end of the East trail we crossed the bridge over Springs Creeks.

The creeks certainly seemed to be a little more like rivers, and very pretty.

The West loop runs along the Conifer Plantation, so slightly different vegetation, and a few obstacles to contend with.

To our surprise both loos only took 30 -40 minutes to complete.  So we headed back to our site and relaxed for a while before lunch. The weather had got quite warm by then.

After lunch a few clouds appeared over the lake, which cooled things down for a while.
However, it wasn't long before a nice breeze blew all the clouds away.

Mid afternoon we took a walk to the beach as the weather was great again.

From there we walked along the cliff edge, which was manicured into a beautiful park like setting,   Then we took a narrow trail to where ever it led.  There was no info on this trail.

It was well worth it, as it led us to a very small cove with a tiny beach area of it's own.
Really very pretty.  We sat there for a while enjoying the peace, quiet and scenery.

Opposite our position on Lake Erie was a fabulous property on an island of it's own.
I think I could give  it a try and see if I might enjoy my own island.
What a great place!

There were a few boaters on the lake. ad one fella with a bright red Hand Glider.  All to quick to get pictures, unfortunately.

From there we made our way back to the beach area we were on yesterday.

This has been a really fun walk.   Especially with such great weather.

Then we headed back to our site and spent the evening in the usual way - relaxing around the campfire.  The fire took a while to get going - damp wood again!

No problem, it was still another really good day.

Thursday August 17th 2017.                                165819

Today it's time to return to the homestead.  Slightly more clouds this morning, but quite warm and humid.  The makings of a stormy day, may be.

Took our time packing up, and were ready to leave about 11.30 a.m.

Our first stop on the way home was to be Port Dover.  It's always fun to wander around there,  especially The Sandal Makers Store  - one of my favorites.

As we pulled into Port Dover the rain started, and by the time we managed to find some whereto park it was raining so hard we decided our tour of Port Dover was put on hold for today.

Mike suggested we headed to Paris and spend a little time there, Oh yes, that is Paris Ontario!

So on our way in the rain, which continued all the way to Paris and beyond.

Not wishing to be outdone, we decided to head into Guelph and stop at the Shakespeare arms for a late lunch.   And that worked out really well, and we enjoyed the break, the beer, the wine and the Fish N Chips.

Then we headed North on highway 6 heading home.   By the time we reached Mount Forest the rain had all most stopped, but once into Durham we were welcomed home with "monsoon" type rain.

Regardless it had been a good trip.                                                                     166064


January 10th 2018.
I do not where the time has gone.  Sorry I haven't had time to keep the blog up to date, but will try to catch up now - before Mother Nature allows us to head out again.

We had a very busy Fall around the house.  You know what it like trying to keep up with yard and house work.

Like a lot of you we have just lived through an extremely cold spell here in Ontario - Cabin Fever YES.   However, it's good to be able to re-live our trips by trying to get this Blog up to date, and not be bothered by all the snow outside my window.

If I can get this blog programme to upload my pictures I will continue to catch up on our trips.
Happy New Year to you all.